Category: Health and Beauty

What if I tell you that you can eat a like a caveman and lose weight in the process?

No,I’m not trying to pull your leg into another fad diet that promises you to lose x number of lbs off the scale. According to statistics, 36.5% adults in the US alone are obese. As per World Health Organization in 2014, 13% of the world’s adult population has obesity.

Loren Cordain,PhD, author of the book The Paleo Diet believes that if we eat like the stone age people it would help us curb our chances of getting diabetes, cancer and heart diseases, high blood pressure and even acne brought about by our modern diet. It also promotes the idea of having an athletic and healthy body just by eating the right set of food.

YOU CAN EAT ANYTHING AND NEVER COUNT CALORIES EVER AGAIN!!!!

You can eat anything from the environment, anything that our ancestors could have hunted or found like meat, fish, any type of seasonal fruit/berry and local vegetables. However, you must avoid eating starchy,sugary,processed and refined food at all times.

Always opt for fresh, lean and gluten free food choices.

Paleo diet aims to get you back to eating foods based on how your body is genetically hardwired to consume letting you achieve your body’s full potential.

How much work and effort does this diet require?

Personally, I didn’t have a hard time sticking to the Paleo Diet. In fact this diet saved me a lot of money because I had to stock up on my grocery and adhere to the list of allowed food and prepare everything myself.

I was never tempted to eat out.

The only downside of this diet is that it is highly restrictive of food choices ( I had to give up on my snacks and pasta and never look back). Trying to follow a strict diet plan could trigger “withdrawal symptoms” in my case that is irritability due to sugar hunger caused by totally cutting back on my afternoon cupcake and tea.

How does Paleo diet keep you fit?

SIMPLE! OPT FOR HEALTHIER FOOD CHOICES.

FIBER RICH FOOD + LEAN MEAT = FEELING FULL LONGER

LOW SALT + NO PROCESSED FOOD + NO SUGAR + NO DAIRY AND CARBS

= HEALTHY WEIGHT LOSS

Can I do this by myself?

You can easily get your hands on Paleo diet books, recipes, menu and even a support group online or at your local community. I would still recommend that you have to consult your doctor first before committing into any kind of diet or fitness program.

Below is a list of links that could help you get started with Paleo Diet.

The search to achieve the perfect no make up make up seem endless for us mere mortals, I usually feel like top make up artists and their hands could really work magic to make you look flawless without looking like you’ve thrown all the make up testers all over your face.

I always wanted to attend make up workshops but since i mom so hard I couldn’t do so. instead I watched a lot of Youtube tutorials until I was able to learn what works for me. I have olive toned and sensitive skin so just finding a product that won’t send me straight to my derm is really challenging.

Sharing is caring. I’d like to share my transformation from this:

I told you I mom so hard, this is me without a drop of make up or a blink of sleep… In case you’re wondering, YES! They’re twins, they’re “naturally conceived” and twins run in our family, both sides!

TO THIS:

Looking like the Gods of sleep and freshness are in my favor..

HOW DID I DO THIS?

Being a mom definitely taught me to be resourceful. I just used the stuff that I already have in my make up arsenal. Let me help you achieve this simulated (I wish) just woke up like this look:

First, A good base is the key to achieving a flawless face whatever look your after whether it be matte or dewy. I used my CC cushion foundation from the Faceshop. It gives you that natural dewy finish that allows you to cop that natural glow from within. What I love about this is that it’s affordable and it functions like a high end product, it corrects my skin tone making it easy to blend in my make up plus it conceals away blemishes like dark under eye circles, acne marks from decades ago and it even makes it look like you have smaller pores. THIS IS A MUST HAVE PRODUCT FOR ME. After I discovered this cushion I don’t think that I would want to use another type of foundation ever again. Having it in a cute packaging is just a bonus.

The formula feels like water and smells like flowers. It’s also light, blends well and offers medium to heavy coverage. this product lasts for 8 hours!!!

Next, I add some color on my face using my holy grail lip and cheek tint from the body shop. I love using this because it really gives me that natural just-finished-with-my-workout-flush. It’s water based and easy to blend, a little goes a long way just put 3 dots running from the apples of your cheeks to just below your temples. I’m using this limited edition “doll’ tint because it has the right amount of shimmer. It’s like having a highlighter and blush all in one go.

I make sure to look awake so I get into the bandwagon of #kilaygoals and also give my lashes some love. I have sparse thick brows and I use a matte eye shadow powder (Mac Espresso) to fill in the hair and make it look as natural as possible. The key here ladies is to use a good brush that could easily help you define that arch and distribute the right amount of product to avoid looking like Helga G. Pataki.

I WOULD RATHER BE CAUGHT DEAD THAN GOING OUT WITH LIMP LASHES!!!!

CURL, BABY CURL!

Our eyes is the window to our soul and nobody wants to look into sleepy looking “windows”. Curling your lashes and swiping on two layers of mascara could make a great difference with how you look. Having great peepers instantly brightens one’s look and makes you seem more put together.

Finally, to complete the look I use two different matte lipsticks (Clinique in Beauty and Mac in Russian Red). I primed my lips first with a nude pink lipstick and dab a darker shade from my inner lips outwards to give the gradient effect. Anybody could pull off this look and it’s best for busy people like me. Layered lip color doesn’t fade off fast and you don’t have to go for quick touch ups. When the color wears off it still looks natural.

It’s hard to keep up with the ever changing make up trends nowadays not to mention that it’s also pricey. Having a staple look that only requires 5 make up products is a great way to still look good without breaking the bank and spending too much time on putting your face on. This look allows me to have more time for my other tasks and still manage to look good for my boys. It also gives me a confidence boost knowing that I could still do something that I like doing for myself before becoming a mom.

“Losyang!”

“Haggard!”

“Mukhang nanay!”

That was me last Decemeber 2015, the twins were just a couple of months and my friends decided to take a snap shot of me whilst they’re having a cry fest at Starbucks.

Those words cut right through my skin.

I don’t know what the deal is about “mukhang nanay” look, how does our society view moms?

I feel like it’s horrible to associate being a mom to looking like you’ve been hit by a truck!

Being a parent is never easy. Pregnancy brings about a lot of pressure and stress to couples especially if it’s their first time. When the baby comes out(in our case, babies! Yep I popped out 2 in one birthing session) it’s going to be sleepless nights, never ending housework and basically trying to provide the best for our children. Given these instances, we tend to unknowingly let go of ourselves. We even choose to be “mombies”(staying up late just to have some me time).

I tried my best to look as close as possible to the way I did before becoming a mom of twins, I never allowed myself to be sulky or to feel too fat or too ugly. I want to defy the stigma of “losyang na, kapag nanay na”.

I made sure to stay fresh-looking without spending a fortune or sacrificing the family budget. Here’s how I did it:

1. ) I stayed hydrated. Dehydrated skin posts a lot of problems in the long run like, acne brought about by oily skin, wrinkles(yikes) and dry scaly skin. Imagine looking pale with cracked dry lips and scaly skin, knowing that you did that to yourself by not having enough fluid intake? In short kasalanan mo why you’re panget and you feel bloated and sulky! Do something about it. We can never be too busy to grab a glass of water.

2.) I eat like an 80 year old granny, work out like a teenager. Cliche as it may sound, my family eats a lot of fruits, veggies, yogurt and protein rich food. Fits right in our budget plus the fact that we don’t have to worry about consuming too much preservatives that gives us bad skin and “extra baggage”. I never had breakouts or any skin problem, I don’t feel heavy after eating because of the preservatives, most of all I don’t feel guilty on cheat day. I work around my busy schedule to have a bit of workout from dancing with my toddlers to running around with them or having some “yoga time”. Balance is the key. It requires a conscious effort. I failed at keeping on track many times but I chose to never give up.

3.) 3-step-beauty regimen.

Three?

Yes, just 3 steps!

I used to have those long morning rituals and night time skin care routine but it has to go FOR NOW! It just won’t work after 16 hours of being awake chasing after toddlers running in 2 different directions, kaya 3 lang, AGAIN, FOR NOW!

Step 1: Cleanse

I only use 2 products to clean my face, cetaphil or the basic dove white beauty bar. It doesn’t strip away moisture and I don’t get that “tight face” feeling after washing my face. I never had breakouts with these products and I don’t have to use moisturizers that often. It’s also affordable.

This is the “daily facial cleanser”

image from google

Step 2: Glow

I have this secret and I will let the world know! The best thing that you can do for yourself is to scrub your face/body regularly. Doing so improves the blood circulation which is equivalent to giving the skin enough oxygen supply therefore making it healthy. Sloughing of those dead skin cells reveals a new layer that’s so smooth and revitalized. You don’t have to spend too much on a product you can even use some stuff that you already have in the kitchen. I use clinique instant facial mask ($38) but I also use coffee grounds (free) mixed with equal parts of lotion and body wash (everyday items around the house) for my face and body. my point is taking care of your skin and body doesn’t have to cost you an arm and a leg. There is always a cheaper alternative out there.

Before the facial scrubThe clinique miracle workerI just use this muchYou can see it had those sparkly beads…look at how pearly the mask is against my skinaster the scrub( no filter, natural day light from outside our window)after the scrub (no filter, natural day light from outside the window)Fresh looking version of me…

Step: Natural Flush

During the day, I make sure to make myself look okay to look at. I Don’t need to put on a full face of make up or spend a fortune buying the latest palette since I only use 3 products, my bb cream/cushion, lip and cheek tint and of course mascara for that wide awake look. I maintain that low maintenance look which works well for my routine because I’m always ready to face the people I work with plus I don’t need to spend more than 5 minutes to look put together.

Everyday look, tint and bb cream, no kilay goals or mascara in this pic.

At the end of the day it all boils down to the decisions we make. I’m not shaming those people who would always say they have no time for themselves but in reality YOU HAVE TO MAKE TIME FOR YOURSELF. Being too busy with our family and other responsibilities could really take a toll on our looks and on our health. Since we love them so much wouldn’t it be worth it giving them the idea that you are able to keep it together and that they are not the cause of your haggardness? We owe it to our family to be fit, healthy and looking great just because they deserve the best version of you.